Hour Glass
by The.Wild.Thing.That.Was
Summary: Stein's past has always appeared a bit of a mystery...now take a look from the day he met spirit, to the beggining of the Soul Eater manga. This is his story...and now..let's turn back the Hour Glass. Story to be finished by Coronai.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note: This is my first Soul eater fan fiction. I decided to focus on the Past of Stein and Spirit. I'm rating T for teen now, but it may go to Mature...because things might get...well...brutal. **

**Disclaimer: I own no part of Soul Eater**

Spirit's P.O.V.

It was freezing outside, and I wasn't particularly happy about having to walk home in it on my way back from Shibusen. Serves me right for picking an apartment so far from the Academy. I mean, Dad said I was too young to move out. I guess he was right. I couldn't even pick a decent apartment location. And on top of these troubles I still had no meister. Shinigami-sama could only wait so long, you know. This was getting ridiculous.

And hey, if I had a meister I could get a girl…no wait. LOTS of girls!!!

Every single meister in the school was taken though, so how was I supposed to find one. It's not like one would just appear right in front of me out of nowhere…Then I saw it a lump of white laying on the ground in the middle of my path.

It was a boy, a young, white haired boy!! I ran up to him, focusing. "Think Spirit! CPR!!" I shook him violently. "Buddy'! Buddy! Are you okay?" I screamed in his ear. No answer…maybe I was doing it wrong. No wait! He was breathing. I saw the slight rise and fall of his chest. Phew, he wasn't half dead after all, just unconscious for some reason. I couldn't just leave him there! I lifted him up, slinging his frail body over my back, along with the grey and white stitched cloth I assumed was his clothing.

The boy didn't wake up on the way home, or when I got home, and by the time I was there, I was panting. Carrying somebody wasn't an easy thing to do.

I decided to temporarily give him my bed, and for extra warmth I covered him with a blanket. Then exhausted myself, I crashed on the couch. Maybe he would be awake, when I, myself, woke up.

And indeed he was. I awoke to see his face close to mine, staring intently. I gave a yelp, leaping out of bed. "You're awake!" I squeaked.

For the first time I got a glimpse of his pale green eyes. "Where…am…I?" He said hoarsely.

"My house." I explained. "I found you lying on the ground, and you looked half dead. I couldn't just leave you!!"

The boy frowned. "So dead wasn't accomplished. I wondered…how does it feel to freeze? It was a test…. unsuccessful." He turned his head downward.

Test…unsuccessful…freeze… "Don't tell me." I gulped. "You were…trying to freeze yourself?" I prodded my fingers together. "Like…in a suicide kind of way." The boy nodded, expression blank. I flailed my arms. "But things always get better! You just have to hang in there…right?"

"Better?" The boy questioned. "How can it get better if there is no good in such a world in the first place."

I contemplated his words in the first place. "Wait! Maybe you don't know good! I can show you! In fact, stay with me for a bit! I can show what good is!!" I attempted, wincing right after I said it. I was just going to take in a random stranger who just tried offing himself? Spirit, you are out of your mind.

But the boy nodded. "I believe you." He said, but didn't look it. He looked untrusting.

I grinned. "Spirit." I stated. "I'm Spirit Albarn."

The boy nodded, almost smiling. "Franken…" He whispered softly. "Stein…"

"Okay, then I'll call you Stein!" I announced. "So Stein, tomorrow I'm taking you to Shibusen with me!"

"Shibusen?" Stein questioned. "The academy? I've never been in a school before…"

"Never?" I asked. "Well…do you know about weapons and meisters?"

"I've heard stories…but I've never met one."

"Yes, you have!" I smirked. "You're looking at the number one scythe at Shibusen…" Then I muttered. "The number one meisterless scythe…but never mind that! One day I'll be a death scythe, and nothings going to stop that." I grinned.

"Can I…see?" Stein asked, and I got the feeling he had a natural curiosity about him.

Why not? I allowed the blades to pop out of my back, and it startled him, causing him to jump back. "Interesting…" He marveled. "I've always wanted to meet a weapon!"

"Glad I could help!" I laughed. "Now then…. We just have to wait for tomorrow!"

Tomorrow came surprisingly fast. We stood in front of the huge school, and Stein seemed to be taking everything in. We went through the halls, and the few students there noticed Stein immediately. "Hey Spirit!" One boy called. "Who is the new kid?"

"Stein." Stein said immediately, shifting his weight uncomfortably.

"Oh, all right then." The boy shrugged, seeming content and trudging off.

We made it to Shinigami-Sama's chambers, where, luckily, he happened to be residing. Death whirled around, flashing us the peace sign. "Yo, yo, sup Spirit?"

I laughed. "Well…I was wondering…well…I mean…this is Franken Stein. Can he attend shibusen for awhile?"

Death didn't answer, but tilted his head.. "Oh?" He said approaching Stein. Stein just looked down. "oh?" He marveled. "Do you realize, young man, how incredible your soul is."

Stein shook his head. "No." He said quickly.

"It's bigger than your own body." Death marveled.

He looked up. "Is that good?"

Death smiled. "It's rare. Very rare, you're quite special. I will allow you to attend D.W.M.A."

Stein nodded. "Thank you." He said quietly.

"Spirit, you are Steins guide." Death instructed.

"All right, Shinigami-sama." I agreed.

We arrived in class, and the day started out normal. Weapons and Meisters split up for individual lessons. "Where do I go?" Stein questioned, flashing me a concerned glance.

"I don't know…" I admitted. "Just go with the meisters…"

"All right!" The teacher, who was also a death scythe announced. "Today the meister's will be practicing seeing souls, a very advanced technique only in use for the best mesiters, but we'll give it a shot. Let's start out small…" He stood up, looking around. "Just focus on singling out my soul."

Stein put his chin in his hand. "Is it really such an advanced technique." He mused.

I gave him a quizzical glance. "Huh?"

He looked at me, an effortless expression. "If it's so advanced, then why is it so easy for me to see every soul in this room." He smirked.

I was taken aback. "Wait…you can see souls…and you can see them easily! Stein, you're a meister!!" I said happily. This was my chance!! He could be my meister!

Stein looked down. "It wasn't a hard task at all…I don't get the big deal." He frowned, seeming deep in thought. Another thing I learned about Stein. He always frowned when he really got to thinking.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Since this story has goten reviews, I will make review responses at the beggining of every chapter, when needed. so here is my response to:**

**Coronai: First off, I cannot tell you how nice it is to have a well thought out review, instead of a plain old "I like it". As for the issue of Stein's soul, I know it's not "That" big yet. I'm afraid that would blow shinigami-sama's mind, as well as be unrealistic. But I did want it to start out being un-naturually big. As for being Shallow, no...I do have several events picked out for this particular fic, but I can't reveal them. That would be unwanted spoilers. Well...I'm glad you like the little tid-bits so far. Thank you, and I do hope you keep reading**

Stein's P.O.V.

Science Day – was written in big white letters upon the board. "Sorry kids, but this is part of the curriculum…" The teacher said, shrugging. "Dissection today." The class was filled with groans except for me. I nudged Spirit. "Dissection?" I asked. "What's…dissection?"

Spirit put his hand in his chin. "It's the worst thing in our class schedule. Why do we have to do this…" He let out an exasperated groan.

I didn't think it sounded bad. Just the word made it sound like fun. Dissection=Fun word.

The teacher laid frogs in front of all of us, dead of course, and rather smelly. I learned we were going to cut them open, and then see their insides. Something inside me clicked. It's possible to see their insides? I blinked. Really? Well I was curious. What do insides look like? As soon as I could I started cutting. Every cut was a new discovery! Every observation was new information on how the animal functioned. I was going to town!!! SHIT, this was fun!!

The teacher eyed me warily. "Be careful Stein, you could hurt yourself with that scalpel. Take it slowly…"

It was too late for that; I was done. I had pages of observations scribbled on notebook paper, and the frog was taken apart and put back together again. I raised my hand. "Can I have another one?" And the class just stared.

-----

It was lunch time. everyone was off eating their own thing, but I was still in my seat thinking about class time earlier. "Dissestion, huh.." I mused... "I like dissection.

I wondered...What do the insides of a human look like? What did I look like? Was I like the frog? Was everything the same, or by some chance...was everyone different....even on the inside? I wanted to know.

In order to quell my curiosity I took a stroll around Shibusen. It was my second day here, and already I was growing comfortable. Perhaps I could be more of myself than I had been. But that was my fault...for not warming up to anyone. Besides...if they knew the real me, they wouldn't want him anyway. I had quite awhile before class started, and the breeze was calming on my skin.

"Hey Stein!" I heard my name, and turned to see a familair face approach me from ealier. It was that boy who asked my name. He was older than me, making him my Senpai, I think. I narrowed my eyes, turning to him. A suspicious gaze. "What do you want?" I sneered, not up for human interaction.

The boy smirked, catching me by suprise and shoving me to the ground. "Listen." He growled, as my body hit the dirt. "If you're going to just show up here, with no respectable background, and call yourself a meister, you have something coming..." He approached me, and I kept wary. "We earn our titles." He jeered. "So until you prove yourself, your scum to me." He scoffed, and turned around, walking away.

I sat there on the ground, glaring at him as he walked away. I clenched my fist in the dirt. "Scum, huh..." I mused, a nasty edge to my voice. "Is that all you can say to me..." I narrowed my eyes, looking away. Maybe I would....Maybe I would become a powerful meister, and really work hard at it. Who was he to judge me? No...he deserved punishment for his actions. Perhaps I could cut him open, just like that frog. Things aren't so easy to push around, when you, yourself, are hurting.

Then I heard my name a second time. "Stein, come on!" This time it was Spirit. He was beckoning me. I didn't get him. Why was he so friendly, huh? How did he accept me. I had a feeling that that acceptance wouldn't last forever. It would turn to fear sooner or later, just as it did for everyone else. But for now....maybe I could accept this. I might as well enjoy this "gift" as long as it lasted. I stood up, brushing the dirt off my uniform, and walked over to him.

"What is it?" I mumbled.

"Class will be starting soon." He pointed out.

I nodded, following after, and I swear I saw for a split second, the shadow of a person watching me in the trees. I turned my pale eyes away from it, back to the redhead...and followed qiuetly behind him.

As we walked through the halls there were several groups of girls standing along the sides, and by the end of it, I was debating dissecting Spirit instead of that boy, because EVERY group of girls we passed had to be flirted with. EVERY.....SINGLE....ONE.....I clenched my fist, learning what Spirit realy was. The name ringing clearly. He was no other than a womanizer. The lady's man of the school. I wasn't any sort of person to get involved with that, so my mind was debating. Then again...he had offered me shelter. I suppose it worked. And come to think of it, while I was in this thought progression, it would be better than sleeping outside.

I tapped my chin, still thinking, when Spirit came to an abrupt halt in front of me. "We're back to class." He stated.

"So we are." I stated blandly back, as if it was obvious. Which it was.

He shifted uncomfotably. "Well, anyways, we should sit down."

I reluctantly crossed over to the desks, stacked up the wall in their auditorium-like manner. I didn't have anyone else to sit by, so it was Spirit who took the empty spot next to me. The lessons droned on, this time simple matter. So easy to get, that I started idly doodling on my paper.

Really now....I had no interest in the english part of the cirriculum. I wanted to get back to science. It was just so much more...fun. I sighed, resting a hand in my chin. "Stein." Scythe-sensei called on me.

"Yes?" I asked looking up. "The word contempt, what catagory does it belong in. Adverb? Verb? Adjective?"

"I don't know." I admitted.

Spirit hurriedly took over. "He's never really been in English before." He defended. "It's a noun. Sorry, Professor Scythe..."

The teacher nodded. "Very good Spirit, and I will keep that in mind. Stein, you are welcomed to stay after for help, if you want it."

Spirit tossed me a cheesy grin and thumbs up look, and I just looked away. He was still way to damn friendly.

The day droned on, and then I walked with Spirit back to what was now my place to live. The weather was nice, and I looked up at the sun, which, mockingly, stared back. Why was it that the sun and moon always laughed at me? What a world...What a messed up world... So then, I guess it was all right for me to be messed up to, to justify where I was. We reached the apartment, and Spirit unlocked the door.

I went into, what we decided yesterday, to be my makeshift room. It wasn't that big, but it worked. I sat in the corner, and focused on my thoughts. Really now...the kid didn't think I could be a good meitser. I would show him. I would train every day...I would be the best meister, and then I would be powerful enough to let him experience the pain of being below someone. Like a make-believe scalpel to cut the beliefs in his heart...I would cut open his beliefs, and re-arrange them. But there was a problem with this idea. I needed a weapon.

**A/n: All right! Chapter 3 will be up when I have the time to write it, but seeing I'm on spring break, I should have the time.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Well it looks like my fic is now dragging in a little bit of interest, so I'm happy about that. When I see an alert or a review it urges me to keep writing sooo -thumbs up- Well, not that I didn't want to write this in the first place, but well...you know.**

**Onto review responses...**

**Conspectus: Well, I'm glad you love it. you don't have to review every chapter if you don't want to (but reviews are like my crack, sooo xD....yeah....) But I will keep writing it. promise!**

**Coranai: Oh Spirit will get his share...all in good time...all in good time. -grin- And you didn't come across as a know-it-all---promise. I hope I don't come across as OMFG I don't take advice from strangers so GTFO kind of person. But yes, considering the matter of my fanfiction, there is ALOT to consider. Like this was before Stein had a screw in his heads. How did it get there? why is he so stitched up? How did his insanity somewhat dull to make him a better meister, because as spirit stated in the anime/manga...his old self was horribly bad in some way. So yeah...lots to take in...but, I am so enthralled that you like this...so there. PLEASE keep reading..because I like my readers.. o.o;;**

**Disclaimer: soul Eater isn't mine. If it was I would have glomped Stein by now...and I have no fear of dissection. **

**Spirit's P.O.V.**

The sun had a way of mocking me even in the morning, you now? Just how it shined in my face, practically screaming at me to get up. yet, dammnit! I didn't want to get up...not yet.

Wait! No! I had to. Stein relied on me waking him up, so therefore I had to get up and let him know it was just about time to head for the academy. Well, we still had time to get ready, but still. Red hair hanging in my face, I let out a groan, forcing my body up and into a sitting position. From there I put on my black little bit of school attire and wearily trudged down the halls towards Stein's dwelling. Urg, I don't think I mentioned this, but Lord Death had decided. Well since Stein was a weaponless meister, and I was a meisterless weapon...we were paired together. Not that I'm complaining or anything, but I don't think I'll get girls. Not with him around. Err...no offense Stein.

I reached his door, and for some reason I had a twist in my stomach. Something told me not to open it.. I ignored the feeling, peeking my head around anyways. "Stein are you..." Stopped. everything just stopped. My eyes widened, and my body was shaking so hard, I swore it was on vibrate. "Wh-what the HELL!?" I shouted..err...more so shrieked. Yes, I sounded like a little girl. Don't judge me!! Sprawled on the floor were organs. REAL fucking organs...and next to them ...my kitchen knives. THAT I USED FOR COOKING. Then there...there was Stein, sitting indian style and working with what I thought was a dead rat. I mean...maybe...I didn't even know. "What are you doing!?" I squeaked, sounding like a little girl again. Ladies, don't get the wrong idea. I really am tough.

"Well what does it look like?" He stated, his voice soothing, but creepy. REALLY creepy. "I'm dissecting this rat."

"NOT IN MY HOUSE." I said, still shaking, but now probably twice as hard. I turned around not able to look anymore, and scared...for my life... "Clean it up!" I tried to order, but my voice still squeaked. "And disinfect my knives." I ran down the hall tears pouring from my eyes. "Dissinfect them, ten times!!!" I screamed, before slamming my door shut and locking it tight. I sank to the floor, burying my head in my kness. Spirit you're an idiot! He's a lunatic! Loco!!! He brought a rat in your house, and dissected it! I thought he liked that lesson too much... MAMA, I'm scared!!! I made whimpering sounds for a bit, hiding behind my door, before I heard a knock. The sound broke my thoughts, and I jumped ten feet in the air. "I'm too young to die!" I yelped.

It was him...Stein. "Senpai..." He murmured from the other side. "We have to get going..." He was acting like nothing happened! Like it was normal behavior!!

"Are you sane now." I called from my side of the door.

He chuckled, not responding, and I gulped. "Hmm...I'll be good now. So can we go?" He coaxed from his side.

"You had better not be lying!" I shouted. I warily opened my side of the door, peeking out. There he was, all cleaned up, and looking like he never had been crazy in the first place. Excepty his eyes. He couldn't hide it there...His eyes, they were just off."Come on." I said quietly, rushing past him. "We do have to get to school...."

He gave off one of his smirks, knowing...just knowing I was scared, and followed me to school. Today we got our first mission together. I would finally eat a soul.

We assembled in Lord Death's chamber. "Stein, Spirit, there seems to be a problem with my calculation." The Shinigami pointed out.

"And what's that?" I put in.

"Well you see, I forgot to see if your wavelengths were comaptible." He sweatdropped.

I collapsed. "You're kidding! how do we fight if they aren't!? How do you not check that either??"

Shinigami-sama blinked. "I have no idea!"

I facepalmed. Now what...."It's not a problem." Stein said, finally speaking. "It's barely under my control, but...I think I can match him."

"Can you now?" Shinigami-sama inquired.

"Not very well yet." Stein muttered. "But I can match him."

Shinigami-sama looked us over. "Oh? I see it now. You can! Cool!" He said, giving us a look that said I'm trying to be hip, but it's not working.

"Thank you Shinigami-sama" I said bowing. "For figuring it out. What is our first assignment?"

The Reaper looked us over quite seriously. "For your first assignment, you will be going to Mexico. It's really hard there! I'm serious! There is a man running around by the name of Cannibal. A most definite kishin. I wish you two the best of luck." He flashes us a thumbs up, before waving us out of his quarters.

Cannibal, huh? Wow..our first mission.....B-but the problem was, could he...really handle it? It had been two weeks now, and...he was still so new. Yet I dids once stumble on him training. apparently he trains hard every night. Something was driving him. I'm not sure what it was, but something.

Stein walked ahead of me out of the cloud-filled room. "Well then..." He started. "We might as well...get going..."

I nodded. "Yeah...right..."

As soon as we walked out of there, Stein walked ahead to get a book from the library. "Oi, Stein! Just meet me back home..." I called. "We leave tommorow morning, you know!!" I was about to head back home now. We got out early today, because we were given a day to prepare for our first fight, school policy. Suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder, and turned to see a young girl with an eye patch marking a lightning bolt over one eye. Hooo-yeeeaaaaa!!! She was hot!! Here you go spirit! Turn on the charm!! "Can I help you?" I stated, smoothly as possible.

"Umm..." she fidgeted. "W-well." She blushed, ace turning utmost crimson. I knew it! She dug me, didn't she. "Your partner..." she started, shifting uncomfortably. "His name is Franken...Stein, right?"

"Yeah..." I said, somewhat confused.

"C-could you help me..." She shifted some more. "I kinda...."like" him...." She looked away, blushing really hard. "I-I mean, I've been watching him, and he's really interesting, so....ummm.....tell me, how do I get close to Stein?" She pleaded with her cute girly face.

That's when time stopped. no way....How did she pick him...over me. AAAAAAHHHH, not fair!!! Life wasn't fair. How did he get a chick interested in HIM first. A sure sign of the apocolyspe. Dx

**A/n: Yay, yeah guess who the chick is?? Ha ha, well it's not like it isn't obvious xDD but yay! Enter Marie! And there first mission? Oh my...how will that go? o.o? Oh yes, and reviews are crack, so feed my addiction. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Well it looks like my fic is now dragging in a little bit of interest, so I'm happy about that. When I see an alert or a review it urges me to keep writing sooo -thumbs up- Well, not that I didn't want to write this in the first place, but well...you know.**

**Onto review responses...**

**Coronai: Ha ha! Another well-thought out review. Much appreciated. Heh heh..yeaaahh...that was a bit much. But I have decided that the sitaution was his first view of gore...ever. And description, huh? That's actually something I've been workin on, because I know I need to improve on it. So yeah...I'll have to try harder. x3**

**Disclaimer: I own no part of Soul Eater...I own my ideas for this fanfiction though!**

**Stein's. P.O.V.**

The house was so dark. My bare feet moved along the floorboards, barely creaking under my frail weight. My hands folded behind my back, both folding, themselves, around a scalpel that I had stolen from the science kits at school. Mice just weren't enough, or rats, or toads. Tonight...heh heh...tonight, I would peak inside a human. Earlier, at dinner, I had offered to make the tea...and slipped a tasteless sleeping powder into Spirit's drink. He wouldn't feel a thing...I pushed open his door, my image a silouhette from the dim lighting from the hallway. He looked so peaceful in his sleep...able to get away from the disgusting truths revolving around life. My white pants made an almost un-noticeable shuffling noise as I walked across the room.

Now I was standing over him. The first question was...where to start. Oh, I know! His stomach! That's where most of the big organs were after all....

................

...................

Breakfast time came about, and Spirit shuffled into the kitchen. "I think I ate something wrong last night..." He muttered... "I'm getting really bad stomach aches." He plopped down in a seat, glancing up at me, as I was doing my very best not to break out laughing. He didn't suspect a thing! Was he a moron? No...this was good. It meant I could do it again...and again...and again...and again...and...well you get the picture.

This was marvelous….I now had a new trick I could get away with. Spirit-senpai, oh Spirit-senpai, thank you for being an idiot. He seemed in real pain though…Hmm….maybe I shouldn't have pulled that the night of our first mission.

We took off to Shibusen, to talk to Lord Death before we had to leave, and before we left from there, a golden haired girl greeted me at the gate. I stopped, and looked at her. "Hello." She said hurriedly. "Stein-san…" She said hurriedly. "I…I just wanted to say, good luck…you know, today."

I blinked. "Who are you?" I asked.

"My name is Marie Mjonlir. I'll be rooting for you today!" She said hurriedly.

Something about this girl, it was kind and caring. It shocked me. I have never gotten a vibe like this from anyone…anywhere. "Thank you…" I murmured….and took down the academy steps. So with that Spirit and I took off for Mexico.

Were we were seemed like a ghost town. People who were there closed their shutters, and looked fearful to look at us. "So where are we going to find this Cannibal guy?" Spirit asked me.

"I don't know, senpai…" I admitted. "Maybe… I could use my training. We have been working on sensing souls in class right? I thought I did rather well, but I haven't tested my range yet…"

Spirit nodded. "Do what you want…"

I stopped, breathing in and closing my eyes. I let focus take over my body. Lights began to appear around me…blue…human souls, not even close to the verge of being a kishin. I wondered what all of the people were like, but then again…reading the souls personailty was so advanced…and I wasn't even close….Suddenly a red, powerful aura caught my attention. "Canibal…" I whispered. I had found his location.

Spirit nodded. "Come on!" He called.

We took off, me leading. I had picked up on his soul. It was near the center of town. When we reached the area I sensed it in, we were in front of an old church, looking long since abandoned. It had a bell tower cracked straight in half, handing by a thread off of the building. The old grey stones that made up it's walls were withered and covered in vines. And on top of this every stained glass window was cracked and broken. "Come." I commanded to Spirit, and he nodded following warily behind me. I pressed my hand on the door to the building, pushing it open with a slow and steady creak.

There...in the center, with sunlight draping his shadowed body stood a man with long dreadlocked black hair, and a tan complextion. His eyes gleamed a pure black,with no color to them, and he had fangs...not teeth. The only other significant detail was the fact that he was drapped in a long black cloak, and in his hands a human soul...Yes...this was Cannibal.

"Spirit." I ordered, but he already knew. His body began to glow and the glow was thrust into my hands so that I was now holding a scythe with a cross on one end and a blade on the other. I spun him into an attack position, and aimed my blade at Canibal. "Canibal.." I said calmly. "It seems that now...I have some buisness with you, but I doubt you'll come willingly. That soul of yours is now mine.." And with that, I charged. He did to, opening his hands to reveal abnmormally long nails that looked like blades. He reached them up, slashing at me, and I stumbled in an experienced way to the side. It took me what I thought was too long to regain my balance, and he was already back for another strike. This time I dropped my head, as he swooped above it, but he has an under swoop too which managed to tear the end of my white shirt, stitched up the middle. "Tch..." I skidded back, grasping Spirit.

His body appeared in the blade. "Stein, watch it okay?" He warned. "I don't want my meister on end up dead on his first mission."

I nodded, turning my palm u and beckoning my kishin enemy. My vision narrowed...I needed a drive for this...I needed motivation. No....no not at all...My motivation was simple...If I beat him, I could and see inside. I slashed down, and by luck...I managed to get him. The kishin stumbled back, falling to his knees, and blood dripping from the wound in an extremely deadly fashon. Remarkable...I had been lucky. It was a killing blow. I approached the man, leaning down at his body which was paralyzed in pain. I about reached Spirit up and slice him once more when his body disovled into a mere soul. My face drooped with dissapointment. I wasn't aware of that factor.

Spirit became humanoid again, and grabbed the soul, looking at it. "It's about time that I figured out what a soul feels like..." He stated, dropping it in his mouth and swallowing. He blinked. "Not bad.." He said, grinning. "Hey Stein...we did it." He said, giving me the thumbs up. "Nice scythe handling, all though it was kind of inexperienced..."

I shot him a glare. "It was my first time, senpai..."

He nodded, shaking a bit when I glared. "Y-Yeah....I guess you are right."

"This means we have 98 to go plus a witches soul..." I thought. "We have a long way to go."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: And suddenly, I think I have an even better Idea of where I want to go with this... x3**

**Coronai: I've started an addiciton!? (So'kay...we all know little Stein is adorable, no use hiding it...) And Oh? You draw? Me too, and becuase I'm working on this fic, I've been getting the exact same urge. Maybe in a later chapter I'll post a link to some fan art I did for some of the scenes...And yeah, there it was. Stein began the expirimentation on Spirit that we all knew was going to happen eventually. And I wasn't trying to at all xDD BUT I totaly had that CronaxRagnarok vs. MakaxSoul fight in mind when thinking up a setting, so I guess it reall seeped through. Oh, um sorry about the fight scene being short. It was the first one I have ever written, lol. So, practice makes perfect?**

**Disclaimer: I own no part of Soul Eater...I own my ideas for this fanfiction though!**

**Stein's. P.O.V.**

"What's up kids!? How's it going?" Shinigami-sama said, waving frantically and meeting us outside of the school. I blinked, seeing this scene as a bit odd. He never usually did come outside to greet us like this a school was dismissed. Something must've been going on.

"Shinigami-sama?" Spirit asked, coming up beside me.

The reaper turned, giving off his usual jovial aura. "Why, Hello Spirit! I was looking for you and Franken Stein, there!" He gave us a thumbs up. "It looks like I've found you."

"What is it?" I asked, turning to him, and Spirit questioning him as well.

"I have an assignment for you two, and you will be paired up with another Meister and Weapon as well." He said nodding vigorously. A team assignment? It would definitley help training, I suppose.

"All right, Shinigami-sama." Spirit and I said, bowing, like I had been taught to do. Apparently this man was very important...He was the God we were supposed to follow. But it annoyed me...how light-hearted he was. Weren't leaders a bit more firm? And also..what do God's insides look like? Somehow...I had the feeling I would never find out...how depressing...I should make it a challenge. When can I see his insides? Hmm...This will require some sneak attack work.

The team lesson was scheduled for just later today, and we would leave after lunch. I wondered what other team we would be paired with....

Before hand, I took another walk through the woods, like I did every day at lunchtime. I would try to catch little animals, and save them for later...It passed the time. Unfortunatley today Adrian was out, the one who had pushed me down so long ago. The exact person I planned to show-up.

Unfortunatley...he spotted me. Adrian crossed over to me, the usual sneer spread across his lips. "Don't test me today." I hissed, allready on edge.

"Why not." He said back, being the usual bully.

This was it...I was going to make him leave me alone once and for all. I spun around, knocking his off guard, and his body slammed into a tree. Marching up, I fisted his shirt collar. "You think you're so strong, huh?" I hissed, reaching up my palm in a threatening way. I reached into my pocket taking out a knife. "Let's cut open that body, and see how strong you'll keep being.

"Oh god!" Adrian screamed, suddenly a pussy...

I took the knife, slitting his stomach, and blood spurted up on my cheek.

"Stop!! Please stop!!" He pleaded.

"I want to shred you into pieces.." I threatened. And make sure they stay shredded... "Should I use a knife, or just pull out everything at once?"

Suddenly I felt a hand on my shoulder. I narrowed my eyes backward to find Spirit there, scowling at me. "Stop it Stein, this guy's not on shinigami-sama's list."

"Don't interefere..." I scoffed.

"I'm just stating the rules, so lay off him." Spirit said, attempting to get me to stop.

I pulled both my hands off, as Adrian scrambled away. I think I proved my point...

"Just what the hell are you thinking? That guy was a student! Did you think you could do anything you wanted when you could enter this school? I mean...I helped get you in here. Do you want to make me look bad?" Spirit said, staring bewildered.

"I wish we lived in a Godless world..." I murmured.

"Do-do you really think that?" Spirit asked, fidgeting nervously.

"Of course not..." I sneered. "Such a world would be diseased." I graspe my face, then letting my hand down slowly, my hands then folding behind my back. I had to get going back to school...

Spirit blinked. "Hey now! You're just going to ignore me, and walk away from this?" He shouted, running up to me. I shot him a dangerous look, and his face paled. "Uhh...Uhhh, I guess you are. Tell you what, just calm down by the end of lunchtime, we have a mission to do, all right?"

It took me a minute. I paced in front of the D.W.M.A. steps for a bit, before finally closing my eyes, and calming myself. I took myself up the stairs where Spirit and the other team was waiting for me. I blinked. "Marie.' I said shocked, noticing the golden-brown haired girl.

She grinned. "It's good that you remembered my name."

A boy was standing next to her, hands in his pokcets. "Hey, my name's Fang. I'm Marie's Meister." He muttered.

So then is was Fang, Marie, Spirit, and I going on this mission. All right then... I turned to Stein. "This is Spirit Albarn." I said motioning to him. "I'm Franken Stein." Our mission was simple, go to France and investigate a paranormal occurance in that area. We would arrive by boat, that is after crossing the surrounding desert to get to the harbor a few miles north. And so we did. After a long hike through the treacherous desert surrounding Death City, we reached a small fisher town where water was abundant. From there we boarded a sail boat.

"Stein."' Marie said, looking at me. I turned to her, giving her a questioning glance. "Isn't it a lucky thing that Spirit found you and brought you here? I mean...I heard how he found you on the street and everything. It's really brave of you to fight to catch up to all the meisters." I wasn't sure what she was getting at with this. Was it interset? No, it was more so admiration!! I had never really felt what it was like to be admired before, and it threw me a bit off guard.

"You really think I'm going to be good at this??" I murmured questioningly.

She nodded quickly. "Mhm. I can just tell, you've really gotten far in the time you've been here." And I had only been here for 2 and a half months now...Such a short, short time.

"Thank you." I said, folding my arms over the boats side railing, and leaning my head on them. We would reach France in just a few hours. Travel was abnormally fast with the carriers we were supplied with. Shinigami-sama always wanted us to get there as soon as possible.

There was one more thing abut Marie that I noticed. Her aura seemed different. "Something about your wavelength..." I murmured. "It feels good."

Her face turned bright pink. "Oh! Well mine's special. It's a healing wavelength so it can help people."

I gave a little bit of an odd, misplaced smile. "Interesting...I've never heard of that kind of a wavelength before..."

She smiled. "I heard yours is naturually big and powerful!" She beamed. "I bet that's why you're going to be so good!"

"You don't know that yet..." I whispered.

"But I believe in it!" She cheered.

Spirit decided to pop in right then. "Hey guys." He greeted. "Marie, could you get Fang to quit pounding me with facts about how electricity works? It's annoying."

Marie nodded. "He likes electric-powered items." She blushed. "I can accompany him instead, if you want."

Spirit groaned, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Please do."

The boat, after a few more hours reached the docks, and we all tumbled out. It was foggy right now, and despite that the harbor was still filled with sailors going about their normal imports. A market was just to the left selling freshly cut fish.

We shifted through the streets, looking around. "Apprently there's been a bunch of murders around here." Spirit started. "It's probably a Kishin, but the people who get away claim that something happens to their eyesight, so we have to be careful. This guy or girl can probably do something to our senses..." We all continued walking.

Fang spoke. "Hey, do you say we split up or keep together." He chewed on a straw poking out of his mouth, hands in his blue jean pockets, and plain white T-shirt ruffling in the wind. The kid looked so ordinary. Brown bob cut hair, and blue eyes. Yet, right now that wasn't important.

"It's a group assingment." I reminded him, calmly. "Stay together."

"Hey...all right..." He muttered. I thought I heard something, but turned around to see the streets were empty. We kept walking and then I sensed something to late, I felt some sort of beam hit my back, and I skidded acrossed the ground. "Damn..." I cursed, standing up, but blinking. Everything suddenly became less clear, as if it was all blurry. He had hit my senses, and now my eyesight was barely useful at all...

Fang clenched his teeth. "Everyone! Watch out!"

**A/N: A lot happened, eh? First off, that certain scene from episode 23, it WAS part of Stein's past, so it DID need to be in there. And then who is this mysterious new kishin foe needing a team of TWO meister's and weapons to take him out? And what the hell did he just do to Stein!?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Yeah...Umm...it's going to be Stein's view point only for a while ....so, just letting you know. And when July comes around, I'm afraid there will be a five or six month interval with no updates....I'm going to boarding school...and no there....I'm very sorry to those reading, but I'll update as much as I can before then... o.o;;**

**Review Responses:**

**Coronai:And yet...I did add fuel to the fire. I'm addicted to chibi stein too, or I wouldn't be writing this story, lol. I'm also addicited to grown up Stein, who is huggable too, but chibi stein ish adorable x3 ... Umm...yeah, looking back, I think I did take it the wrong way a little, making it because he was bullied, but ehhh....too late now. Oh well... As for tip number one, that's a good idea, and I'll try and use that! As for idea number two...I'm not giving any spoilers, but it was one of the first things I started trying to figure out how to fit into the story. Trust me, when those come along, it'll be epic. -seals mouth- So that I am, letting it lie. You really will just have to wait. -whistles innocently- **

**P.S. Yeah, from the story...but it'll be a while before I can post them up. My scanner is being an ass. Dx and crap...yeah...typo o.o;;  
**

**Disclaimer: I own no part of Soul Eater...I own my ideas for this fanfiction though!**

**Stein's. P.O.V.**

Damn it all...this wasn't good. If I couldn't see, it was obvious that I couldn't use Spirit. Fang turned to Marie. "Marie!" He shouted, and she nodded, and I assumed she transformed into I don't know what. It was really foggy right here, so vision was already scarce, but it was even worse that I had none. "Spirit." I ordered, signaling him to transform.

He looked at me. "Are you all right?" He asked first.

"I'm fine, just a little blinded." I muttered.

"Are you sure you can fight?" He asked.

"I have a plan." I said, and he didn't question, but transformed. I grasped him with one hand, holding out my other palm out in a meditative stance. I slowed my breathing, and closed my eyes. I would fight with my eyes closed, relying only on seeing my enemies soul. He had to be a kishin, so I just had to look for the red light.

_Concentrate. _Focus on the blue lights surrounding you. Those are the students you are fighting with. Allies. _Concentrate._ You're on a street, surrounded by buildings, so one wrong move, and you could black out from the impact. C_oncentrate. _Look for a soul...a red one...and attack. _Yes! Yes! Cut it open! I know I want to cut...yessss.....cut it...._

I opened my eyes, still blackness. "Spirit." I instructed. "Can you tell me my surroundings as I approach them?"

Spirit's voice reached my ears, echoing out from the metallic scythe blade. "Yeah...sure..."

I launched at the red light. "trash can!" Spirit shouted, and I jumped, somehow catching my balance a top its metal frame.

I heard a strange noise, like giggling. "You won't catch me, little kiddies...in the end I'll catch you...yessss...and your juicy, juicy souls. Hee hee hee..." And like that...it was gone.

"The kishin is gone." I muttered, carefully lifting myself down from the trash can...still blinded. The red light had all but vanished from view...but...how? Tch...I would now have to wait for the effects of this Kishin's spell to wear off. Was it magic? No....I would hope not. If it was magic, the this might be no ordinary kishin. We might have been dealing with a witch. A frown crossed my pale face...I wasn't ready to face a witch. Not at all...And I was well aware of that. So all I could do was hope that this wasn't one.

It took a full hour for the effects of the spell I was under to wear off. I never saw to clearly in the first place, but I made a point of not letting others know that my vision wasn't 20-20. It was a weakness, and I wasn't the type to allow others to see mine. As soon as I began being able to see again, we checked into an inn near the center o f the town. It was evident that we would be staying here until the truth of what kind of kishin this was would be revealed.

In our room, we rested for awhile. Fang seemed to be off in the corner, tinkering with some little device. I wasn't sure what it is, but he seemed to be into assembling it. Spirit was quiet as well. He was in a chair in the corner, reading a book. Probably something involving girls, but maybe not...something I learned about him was that he actually did like to read.

I myself, realized, now that I could see again, that the demon had torn my sleeve. I fumbled through the bag I brought with me, and brought out a needle and thread. I had a natural concept of how to sew things together, but I wasn't the best. Whenever I did, the stitches were crooked, and misplaced. However, I was sure that they would even out in time. I ran the threaded needle through my sleeve, repairing the rip to keep myself occupied.

The time passed, and we ended up leaving the Hotel once more to go in search of the Kishin. Oh yes....did I mention my "habits" have gotten worse lately? As we were walking, I noticed a man walking not far from us. His back was oddly shaped, and it caught my attention. I had to know why his back was so oddly shaped. I looked at the others who were not paying attention to me. Slowly, I slunk away from the group and over to the man. With out saying a word, I pounced on him, pinning him down. Yes! I would find out why it was that his back was so oddly shaped. I looked around...now for something to cut with...

The man was screaming, carrying on in French about how I was a loon, and I felt myself being dragged off him. I looked up to see Spirit scowling at me. "You idiot..." I muttered. "Why do you have to interfere Senpai? I was going to dismember him...."

"That's why I have to interfere." He muttered, dragging me off to the group by the tip of my shirt collar. Ah Senpai...are you used to it by now? How fun....

I was in a bad mood for awhile. Really Spirit...why did you have to interfere. It wasn't really your job to look after me...so tell me...why? Why did you? Tch...whatever....I guess if I couldn't control myself, some one else had to...I guess.... But I didn't want to control myself...

Fang had stopped in his tracks up ahead. "Ey guys." He said warily. "I sense something. Stein...your sensing is a little better than mine. Can you try and find the Kishin's soul?" He turned to me, eyes concerned.

I turned my pale green eyes up to face him...up of course, because he was taller than me. Everyone seemed a little taller than me at this age... "I suppose...." I closed my eyes, focusing on the souls around me, just as I had learned to do. Naturally the blue lights of my partners were there, but also. "It's right above us..." I growled...annoyed that I couldn't sense it before now. I shifted one white pant leg behind the other into a battle stance. "Spirit, transform." I ordered. And he assumed his position as my scythe.

"Marie, transform too." Fang ordered. She nodded, and this time I was able to see what she was. It was some sort of hammer device... Fang smiled. "Stein...let me start it off. Marie has a special ability. She can speed up the muscles in my body with a motorized drive. So let me take up front, you observe his moves first and attack from behind."

I nodded. "Yeah..." It was much more fair to let Fang go in front. He knew much more what he was doing...and I was still new at battle. I did as he instructed. Then it showed itself to us. All other passersby caught one look, and expressed their horror by running away screaming. It was a sickly beast, face almost like a young child's but twisted, and the body...belonging to an adult. almost as if it had stolen the head of a baby and attached it to a full grown man. It was a horrifying site...but I didn't seem to be phased.

"Tch..." Fang clicked his teeth in annoyance. "You're an ugly thing, aren't ya?"

The creature repeated it's childish giggle we had heard earlier. "Oooooh, I get kiddies to play with. Hee hee."

Fang charged. "Don't let it's left hand hit ya." He said. "That's what had the power to blind yer eyes earlier...It's got some sorta magic"

I then noticed that his left hand wasn't attached to his body, but hanging off with a chain. So he would be able to throw it. It would require perfected dodging and agility to be able to dodge. This was another good reason why Fang was in front, because of what Marie could do... I readied myself, not taking my eyes off of the disgusting creaton.

The creature moved forward, throwing his hand out at Fang to try and get his senses out of wack. However, Fang easily dodged, most likely he saw it coming. Jumping up, he swiveled, hammering Marie's end into the creature's back. The creature made a painful shriek. It was almost impossible to believe that it was once human...

It swiveled around, a twisted grin still planted on it's face. It giggled. "Oh little kiddies...do it again. It hurt really good."

This was it, wasn't it....this was madness. I had heard of it before...and come to tell the truth....I was aware. I knew that my soul had natural madness dwelling within it. But it wasn't consuming me..and I doubt it ever would unless something happened. Very easy to manage...but still...I knew this wavelength. I could understand it. This thing wasn't going to stop until we destroyed it completely. I readied Spirit's blade, pointing it at the creature.

"Wait for an opening." Spirit cautioned, red haired head popping up on the blade.

"I know Senpai." I stated back, eyeing the beast. Fang kept hitting him over and over with Marie, but something was wrong. She was shocking him with every hit, but it didn't seem to phase him. Was her...weapon type ineffective?

"Shit, the lil' devil got me!" I heard Fang growl, skidding back. So he had been hit, meaning it was all up to me now. Marie trasformed back, carefully tending to her Meister.

He looked around. "Where are Ya! I kin still fight!"

"No, Fang...don't!" Marie pleaded, wanting to look out for him. He seemed to sympathize, sitting back down.

"Okay then Stein...it's up to you, rookie. Let's see what ya got..." Fang said, breathing heavily, as he collapsed next to a wall.

I nodded, concentrating. The kishin was approaching me now. "Another toy for me to play with...I like toys...yummy yummy toys...I'm gonna eat yoou~"

I charged, and he shot out his left hand. anticipating it this time, I dodged sharply to the right, kicking myself off of the was and slashing at him with Spirit.

The thing tried to block the blow with his hand, but it sliced right on into it. "Aww....now look what you did...I'm bleeding!" It whined. "Hee hee...more! more! MORE!"

I scoffed, lunging again, swinging for his leg, but skidding right past. I planted Spirit in the ground to stop my skid.

It was the enemies turn. He gurgled something in his mouth spitting at me. I dodged, and it his the building behind me, melting the wall instantly. Great...it spit acid too....This meant any blow from it could be fatal. My only advantage was that it was really stupid.

I swung again, this time managing to get his leg, and making it so that it could no longer walk. The kishin fell to his knees, wailing and laughing at the same time. Great...I had it stationed...now The kishin was frustrated...trying overly hard to eat some sort of human soul. It looked around, and then bashed a hand through a grey stoned wall next to it. "I found yooouuu~" It sang, bringing out a small 2 year old boy in both of it's hands.

The little boy looked horrified. "Maammaaa, help meee!" He sobbed. I had to finish this off fast. I took the scythe, finally able to charge once more, and this time...I took off it's head. The head was still laughing as it fell to the ground, blood spurting from the neck for just a second before evaporating into a red glow, the kishin soul.

The boy fell, and Marie caught him, carrying him in a nurturing way back to his mother. "Death bless you." She said, overly grateful.

Fang approached me. "The soul is yours. Ya earned it." I nodded.

Spirit resumed human form, reaching out, and gulping it down."That's two." He said, grinning.

The mother approached me, and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Thank you...Thank Shibusen."

My face held a shocked expression, and I didn't know what to say. Thank you...I had never heard those words before... So that was it. This is what being a meister was about...I had it all wrong...It wasn't about revenge, or your own personal wants or needs. You were serving Shinigami-sama to provide safety to the people. But...heh heh...if I was a meister, no safety could ever be guaranteed with my service. none the less...I had learned a new, very valuable piece of information today. Perhaps one day I would actually follow to obey it's means...

**a/n: End chapter...and I've been meaning to say...I'm sorry if you don't like Marie's meister being an Ooc, and I'm worried that it bothers some people...but....yeah....she doesn need SOME ONE to weild her. x3**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: OH MY GOODNESS, more reviews than ever before~3 thank you all! And I found a way to get my drawing onto the computer, so prepare for some of my chibi stein doodle links...when I'm not lazy enough to not upload them... xD Sooo...now I'm going to get started on responses. -points down-**

**p.s. Sorry for late updates again. I'm getting caught up in summer~  
**

**Conspectus: Yeah, I really do have to go. T_T -has no choice in the matter- I know some Spanish. I did take three years of it after all, however... I don't think I know enough to read a fanfic in it, but I can give it a try? Our Spanish program at school isn't that good at all. I'm glad that there were lines that really stood out to you, and that means that there are highlights to parts in the chapters that you really enjoyed more than others. So yeah...I'll update as soon as possible. It's about summer break, meaning I'll be writing a lot. Ah yeah...actually that was my longest chapter. xD Twice as long as all others.**

**Coronai: Yes! I am sooo relieved that I'm doing Fang right. That makes me happy. C: I laughed when I read your comment on the glasses. Yes, yes that's exactly what it means. After all...I was reading over the manga, and saw the scene about him dissecting spirit way back when. And I noticed he didn't have stitches or a screw, but had glasses. They came first. xD And as for the ellipses, it's my WORST habit. So it'll take some real self-discipline to straighten that out. Nonetheless, I'm willing to work on it. **

**SoTroublesomeST: Wow, thank you for reviewing every single chapter. I'm glad you like it, and hope you will be ready for every new chapter I give. C:**

**Disclaimer: I own no part of Soul Eater...I own my ideas for this fanfiction though!**

**Stein's. P.O.V.**

Well now...look where I now find myself. Back in school, back in the normalcy of what wasn't my life. And I was sitting in class, observing Scythe-sensei's lesson. I, now being enrolled in school, was picking up the material rather quickly. Right now was Math, then a break for training, and then lunch.

The school had a strict routine. To tell the truth, I didn't mind it at all. I liked the structure, it made me, myself, feel less unbalanced. Not that I minded being so, but sometimes I really did...scare myself.

Training time came around, and we were going to do something new today. monitored practice fights. I met Spirit down on the fighting grounds. Scythe-sensei stood in the center of a cleared area in the shape of a circle, almost as if to signify a fighting ring. Oh ho ho, I was liking this. I was going to get to cut today~ I wanted to cut, oh so badly...

I took a breathe in, as I did almost routinely before any battle. To clear my senses, and my /mind/. Letting it out, I joined the rest of the students. Marie was standing up there as well. "Stein!" She called, waving in a huge manner, and looking cheerful as always. Standing next to her was a girl of whom I did not recognize. They walked over, and Marie motioned to her friend. Short black hair and glasses, she seemed like a very studious type of person. "Stein, this is Yumi, my best friend."

I looked at her almost expressionlessly and nodded. The girl nudged up her glasses. "I heard you try and dissect people. As hall monitor, I won't let it happen on school grounds."

I didn't like her already. "Whatever..." I grumbled, turning and walking away. I saw Marie look worried, as if she had done something wrong. Who cared anyway?

looking...looking...located. "Ah ha ha, so are you ladies ready to see some fights?" Spirit-senpai was being his usual self.

"Senpai." I muttered, clearly agitated with his behavior, but it's not like he was never agitated with mine. "We are up first. Come on."

Spirit turned to me, standing up from being surrounded by a bunch of girls. It was disgusting. He shoved his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, I guess you are right."

We both headed to the battlefield. "We are both here, Scythe sensei." Spirit said.

"And you are...?" He asked, with out looking up from his clipboard. "Wait." He glanced up. "Ah yes! Spirit Albarn and Franken Stein! Wonderful! Prepare yourselves in the little dirt arena, all right?"

"Yeah..." We both muttered in unison, trudging out,and other students looking at us curiously.

Yet, today was not my day. Due to the extreme brightness of today's outdoors, the light seemed to be messing with my vision more than usual. Everything was so blurry. Damn it all to hell. I clicked my tongue on the top of my mouth in annoyance. How daft...how was I supposed to fight half blind, and more importantly...how was I supposed to cut?

It turns out our opponent was some kid named Kal. and his weapon was some chick named Saki. No bodies...not even that powerful. I readied myself. "Spirit."

Kal readied himself. "Saki."

And thus it started. It turns out Saki was a mace, and as he swung her around, I readied Spirit.

"Remember" Scythe-sensei said. "No injuries, what so ever. You knock your opponent to the ground, that's it. One cut, and your getting after school detention, understand? This is about maximum control of your weapon."

Both the other meister and I nodded, but I didn't really mean it sincerely. I wanted to cut him so badly...

And so the fight began. Kal charged at me, baring Saki in the fiercest way. His first swing was at my feet to keep me off balance. I jumped over it, spinning spirit around, to knock him on the head. Alas, he dodged. Finding my footing, I slid on the ground. Unfortunately, due to my little bothersome vision problem, my eyes were over focusing on seeing straight, and I rammed into a tree.

Spirit's face showed up in the scythe's blade. "Hey! Stein...what the hell was that?"

"Nothing..." I growled, irritated by the fact. Kal charged again, trying to knock me to my feet. I backed up, but once again, my vision was limited, and I didn't see a small boulder close to me. My leg hit it,and I slid on the ground. Dammit...knocked down already.

Scythe-sensei blinked. "Errr...Kal wins?"

I was then forced to the infirmary, because apparently receiving a bruise from tripping was with a trip to the doctors office... Our Nurse, Eris, was in the middle of re-arranging medicine bottles when I arrived with Spirit who decided to tag along. She looked up, and blinked. "Well now, hello you two." She stated, giving a friendly smile. "What's the matter?"

Spirit had an unamused look on his face. "Stein messed up, is what's the matter."

Eris stood up, and patted Spirit's head. "It isn't nice to blame others, you know."

I shot him a glare, as if to agree.

"Now then...Tell me what's the matter." nurse Eris said, looking genuinely concerned.

"It's nothing..." I growled, not wanting to admit it.

"All right...well I'll preform the regular tests anyway." She said, laughing softly. and so it went, she tapped my knee to check it's reflexes, listened to my heartbeat, took my blood pressure, so on and so forth. And then something I didn't expect...

"Everything looks good, but it seems like you have never had your vision and hearing test upon entering." She said, revewing my chart.

I made an annoyed sound...she would find out about my vision...it was inevitable.

And so it went, she tested my hearing and it was all good, but still. "Press your head to this, and read me the top row."

"E F G T M H I"

"Good, second row."

"D Y A W R E Z"

"Good...third row."

"...I can't"

"...You can't."

"...no"

"Huh..." Nurse Eris blinked. "Well that's the problem, you need glasses."

"Tch..." I sighed, so now I had to wear them. But how bad could it be? She looked through a door filled with lenses. "That vision test I just gave you determined your prescription. She found the lenses she needed and popped them into a rounded frame." She reached out her hand, holding me the glass on a wire frame. Warily I took it, opening up the spectacles, and sliding them onto my face.

I blinked, and blinked again. The room...was actually so much cleared now...everything was so much clearer. Everything was easier to observe! You know what? I liked glasses. What was wrong with me before? I contently nodded a thanks, before trudging out of the nurse's office. Where I found Spirit slumped up against the wall, looking like he was struck by well...something. "Senpai, what are you doing?" I asked, blinking.

"Stein..." He said, keeping a straight face. "I think..." then it came, his eyes practically becoming hearts. "I have been hit by cupid's arrow! I just saw the hottest girl...I have ever seen...in my entire life!" He grinned. "And I so want to make her mine."

I sighed, knowing better than to not go along with this. "Do you even know her first name?"

He paused, thinking really hard like the idiot he was. "Oh! Yes, i know! I've heard it. She's a really smart girl in the class right next to us. ~ Kami. That's her name."

I trudged away. "Stupid Senpai...why would she ever want an idiot like you?"

His face drooped. "Don't discourage me! Like I said...the master...will get his princess."

I rolled my eyes. And then suddenly it hit him out of no where. "Hey Stein! Since when have you worn glasses?"

"...it just hit you?"

"Yeah..." He looked down embarrassed, bright red hair hanging in his face. "My bad, huh? So that explains why your fighting was off. You know you could have told someone."

"My vision isn't that bad, you know." I stated. "I can see you just fine."

"I'm standing six feet away from you." Spirit pointed out, and he was right. what he was saying was completely logical. That he was. maybe my vision really wasn't all that great, but I could go with out the glasses sometimes. It wasn't a habit of mine to wear them. It couldn't be a habit on the first day. But already, I pushed them up to adjust them, looking at Spirit.

"Senpai..." I asked, looking at him. "I have a question."

"You...you are looking up to your senpai for his vast wisdom!" Spirit marveled. "Yosh! Finally my genius can be heard! ...what is it?"

I couldn't help but smile. "Don't push it." But the smile quickly turned into a frown. I remembered the woman back then, when I had saved her child, and received my very own thank you. "What does it mean to be a meister?"

He gave me a serious look for a second, before a goofy grin slid onto his face and he burst out laughing. "Stein-kun., woah, woah, you're asking a weapon this!" He then turned too face me, and realized that I was actually quite serious on this matter. He cleared his throat. "Well, no experience in that or anything, but I guess it means that you are risking your life to protect others from madness. That sounds about right."

I was giving my life up for others? That was backwards. That was the complete opposite of how I had lived my life until now. I had never been to an academy like this. In fact I was out of school for a very long time. But I could somewhat remember my family. I could somewhat remember early years of schooling before all of those memories faded to black. I remembered sitting in the classrooms and hating the monotony. I remembered my own instability. I would never forget either. I remembered that my entire life had never, not even once, been for others. It had always, and unchangingly, been led for no one else's amusement but my own. "Protecting others, huh..." I murmured. "Thanks for answering, I guess." With that I folded my hands behind the back of my pure white stitched up shirt, and left Spirit in the hallway. "I'm cutting class today." I called, and headed for the outskirts of Shibusen. When I got there, I sank down next to a tree, bringing my knees to my chest.

My pale green eyes flickered up, down, and then sideways. "Protection." I stated again. Such a thought had not once ever crossed my mind before. Not even once. What a crazy idea it was too. I shut my eyes, burrowing my silver haired head into my knees. I knew I was unstable, but I had lived my life without giving that part of me very much thought at all. I just let it slide along, displaying that instability in a such care free manner. But after hearing what Spirit said, for the very first time ever, I felt fear of the instability. What he had said made me realize that there were actually others around me. They all had lives as well as me. Valuable ones. If I had subconsciously ever realized this before, I cast it aside. Protection ... maybe I would consider it.

A twisted grin spread across my face. That didn't mean it was what I was going to use to become stronger. No, I had found a much more fun drive than that. Curiosity, that was my drive. That would always be my drive. And yet suddenly ... I didn't want to see my comrades get hurt in battle.

"Stein!" I heard my name, and the red head whom I had just departed from came trotting up. "Hey, you okay?"

"Fine." I stated, looking up at him. So, partners huh? Maybe I wouldn't use him anymore. Maybe I could protect this one. FUCK. Who am I kidding! More like I was protecting his insides! I didn't want to miss out on that one. Those little organs belonged to me.

"Well come on." He said, holding out his hand. "Let's skip class together."

"You know..." I looked up at him, a smirk on my face. "That over friendly attitude makes me want to dissect you."

He sweatdropped. "Sure. Uh, let's go, all right?" Baka. Didn't even realize I already was. Hee hee.

**A/n: FINALLY DONE! /headesk ... that chapter took awhile, due to mass spouts of brain dead in the periods of writing it. I hate writer's block. anyways... towards the end, it got easier. ALSO...VERY IMPORTANT. NEXT CHAPTER IS A TIME SKIP... ONE AND A HALF YEARS LATER. BE SURE THAT YOU KNOW THIS, AND DON'T GET CONFUSED.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Yeah….just as stated this is a time skip to a year and a half from now. Just to play along into the story line. Trust me, I thought it would be much better to let you know, instead of making it a wtf moment. But yeah…1 and a half years later guys. Just saying.**

**Coronai: It's fine. I'm ecstatic that you like it so much, that you'll come to look for it in your phone. Yeah, I did kind of want the glasses to be a big deal, because they really are a huge part of his character. The glare is very much so essential. xD That scene was supposed to reference him starting to understand the madness for the first time a bit, and realizing that maybe it's not such a good thing. But he still has a long way to go on that. A VERY long way. And that suggestion was something I really want to play on. It's a slow realization sort of thing for him though. So it's something that'll be brought up more and more as the story progresses.**

**FuryanDemoness19: Mmm... he'll discover that lovely little trait soon enough. 8D**

**Salior Sofia: There's a huge problem with that. Asura was sealed before the academy was founded. So he's under the school still, at this time.  
**

**Disclaimer: I don't own soul eater; I own my ideas though.**

**Spirit' s P.O.V.**

Dammit, where had Stein gone? We had to be in class in twenty minutes. He was probably off dissecting something again. I doubt there was a day this year he hadn't. And now I could never get the blood stains off the floor of my apartment! I told him I didn't want him doing that anymore. He just never listened did he? But there was no way I was leaving him now, not after what he had accomplished. The little shit was a genius, I could give him that much. No one at Shibusen has **ever **progressed as far as he had in one and a half years; I had to give him credit.

And so I found him, crouched down trying to dissect something. Surprise, surprise. Gee…this one was predictable. So predictable... "Hey Stein!" I shouted. "Class! Twenty minutes! Get a move on!"

He frowned, standing up. "Fine…let's go Senpai…"

"And wash the blood off your hands; no one wants to see that." I continued lecturing. I swear…it was like I had to do all the looking out for him.

He smirked, walking past me, hair in his eyes. "Yes, mother."

"Tch…" I was kind of annoyed at that comment… But whatever. "Just come on…"

He still wore his smirk, and pushed up his glasses. "Ah, but don't I have to clean the blood off my hands?"

Geez, what a smart ass… "You know what I mean!" I retorted. "I'll see you in class, okay?" With that I trudged off, knowing he wasn't one to be late anyways. Class started as usual, with Scythe-sensei asking us to please take our seats, and such. Sure enough Stein showed up on time, and it looked like he had enough time to check a book out of the library as well. He trudged up the steps and took his seat next to me in the second row.

Scythe-sensei cleared his throat. "As I was saying, Class is going to start now, so please pay attention. Today's lesson is very important. First I will ask, which of you in here can see souls?"

That was a nosey question wasn't it? Was it any of his business? None the less, I saw Stein idly raise his hand. "I can see souls." He said muttered. A few others clarified that they could see souls, and a few others shiftily looked down, admitting that they couldn't.

Our sensei chuckled. "Now then, you guys know I don't care who has what ability. The real lesson here is to know your limits. If you know your limits you can be more comfortable with yourself on the battlefield. How confident you are with yourself affects how much your soul wavelength flourishes. The more or less that it flourishes will affect how well you perform any individual technique. This applies to both weapons and meisters. You both must hold the same confidence in order to resonate in absolute perfection. This is the most important thing to keep in mind when fighting. Are there any questions?" Sensei looked around curiously.

Stein raised his hand. "I have one. More like, I would like to point something out. I don't think the point should be to know your own limits. It's an important skill, yes. But shouldn't the point more so understand the way your enemies move? In this way you can judge them, and have a battle." He lowered his hand, seeming content with his point.

Sesnei sweat dropped. "Well…yes…you are very right about that." He cleared his throat. "Okay! Disregard what I said. Stein has made a very important observation. Actually if you know how your enemy works it would be much more beneficial."

Leave it to Stein to find the flaw in the teacher's lesson. And what a jack ass to actually point it out. He just didn't care, did he? I rolled my eyes at the smirk on his face. The rest of the class looked impressed though. Che, maybe I was just used to it. But hey...I did somewhat admire him. He was well on his way to becoming a two star meister. He was one of the strongest one stars.

Class got out an hour and a half earlier, and I noticed Stein wasn't around. He wandered off every day. I didn't know where he went, but something told me, or more like a gut feeling told me, it wasn't about dissection. I never tried to follow him. He disappeared before I got the chance to.

So I went on my own way to grab my sack lunch from where we dumped our stuff in the morning, but paused, grasping my shoulder. It was sore. I went to the bathroom, and in one of the stalls removed my shirt to check it out, blinking. "A scar? But . . . when did that get there?" Eh, I probably hurt myself without knowing or something. Pulling my shirt up over it, I decided to go and do my own daily thing. I snuck down to the assignment board in Shibusen's main hall. There she was, searching eagerly for a new assignment. Her long light brown hair hanging so delicately along her backside, pale skin a glorious reflection against the hall's lighting. Kami . . . She was so damn hot. I came here every day to watch her. Call it stalker if you must, I called it true love.

**Stein's P.O.V.**

Heh heh . . . well would you look at this. Finally, finally it was all mine. A twisted grin spread onto my face, and I could help but give out a giggle at what I had done. Nine months . . . Nine months I had practiced this move, and now it was mine, all mine! I stared at my hands in front of my face, still not able to contain the grin consuming my being. My little spout of happiness was interrupted on hearing Shibusen's warning alarms going off in the distance. Mm? Well now, it looks like there was a little bit of action today. I swiveled around on one leg, trotting back up to the school.

Upon arriving, students were in a panic. Then I found out the facts. It appeared that a witch had taken it upon herself to arrive in Death City. Which meant an opportunity for all meister's to get their witch soul for a death scythe. Spirit found me, and shouted across the hall. "Stein! There you are! Come on! Shinigami-sama is sending us down to fight it!" I nodded, grinning. I could test out my power now. Oh joy. This witch was supposedly a powerful one, who decided to take on Shinigami-sama directly. But naturally he would send students out to fight her first. Spirit transformed into a scythe right there, and I carried him down to the streets of Death City, where it wasn't hard to find her. Her soul was enormous, and purple. A dangerous light that took up plenty of the town . Since we were the ones called down to fight her, she spotted us right away.

"Oh look~" She chuckled, staring down at us with murderous intent. "Your little Death God sent me a meister and weapon. And the meister's soul is only 1/3 the size of mine. I'm insulted. Couldn't he do better than that?" She pouted, flying her broom down dangerously close. "Go tell your God that I want him, not you, all though your soul is still impressive little boy."

I remained calm, focusing on my objective. "I'm afraid I can't do that, witch." I stated in a collective manner. "Right now it's my job to defeat you."

The comment seemed to greatly impress her. "Really? Well I'm flattered that you want to kill me so badly." She reached out a pale arm. "Come on then, boy. I haven't got all day."

I readied my scythe. Not only was this the first witch I had ever met, she would mutter the first witched spell I would ever hear. "Pan Panther Pantheria . . . Night Claw." She hissed.

Out of thin air, shadows formed her in the shapes of paws with dangerously sharp tips. She flicked a wrist up and then down at us, and the claws followed, reaching out to strike us. I spun Spirit around, continuing to block them as they continued to try and hit me.

"What are you doing Stein!" Spirit yelled, not understanding from inside his weapon form. "Quit using the hilt to guard and go for her already. You can reach her in a swing! She's open!"

"Don't tell me how to be a meister, Spirit." I reprimanded, continuing to block. Suddenly, I felt myself being dragged down. "A ground attack!" I hadn't seen it coming. Slowly I felt myself being dragged up by the neck, Spirit a good hundred yards away.

He transformed back into a human, unable to get to me. "H-Hey! Stein!" He called, desperately trying to reach me, but the shadows cut him off, blocking that ability.

Barely able to breathe, I looked down at the witch who had me in this neck hold. "Aww, it was a nice try boy, but I'm afraid you're losing to this big kitty." She purred, looking content with herself. "And now I'm going to make you suffer." She beckoned one of her shadows over, allowing it's claw like form to grasp onto my face.

"Kufufu, enjoy my present." She stated with a cold smile. The claw like form reared back, angling a dangerously sharp blade towards my face. Unable to stop it, I watched helplessly as it dove right into my left side's skin.

I couldn't help it. I . . . I screamed. I screamed in pure agony as it started in my forehead and dragged itself in a terrifyingly slow pace down my cheek.

"Stop!" Spirit screamed. "Leave him alone! Please, leave my meister alone!" But he could do nothing, and watched helplessly as I continued to scream from the scrutinizing pain.

The witch cackled. "There, there." She chided. "That's a good boy. Let me hear you scream."

I closed my eyes, trying to bite back the scream. This was nothing. It was nothing right! I had to focus on fighting back. That's right! That technique… "You . . . lose . . . "I gasped, rearing my hand back.

"He's able to talk? How admirable." She hissed. "I really –" Her speech stopped in midsection, as blood poured out of her mouth, and from shock she dropped my body onto the ground below. Gasping for air she glared at me. "What was that little surprise? It was unpleasant."

I looked up at her, as blood poured in a huge amount down my face. Spirit managed to make it over to me. "Stein! Hey, are you okay! You're bleeding."

I took a deep breath in. "I know I'm bleeding Senpai, ignore it. Just transform, understand?"

He nodded, turning back into a scythe. "How did you get her to drop you?" He asked.

I smirked, averting my eyes back up to the witch. "You'll find out soon enough." I said, amusement crawling out into my voice's edge.

The witch lowered herself down to our level, body fuming with anger at being hit. "That wasn't very fun." She hissed.

"It wasn't supposed to be." I said back. "And what about my fun? You barely gave me a good reaction to a technique I spent the last nine months developing. You know, I don't think that's very fair."

The witch growled, coming at me again, and I smirked. This time too mad at me to think about using her magic, she decided to toy with me in the martial arts department. Each time, I blocked her with Spirit, as to draw her attention to my blade. Finally, I caught it, my opening. "And now to reveal my technique for the world to see." I chided. I allowed my wavelength to form itself in my hand. I could feel it twisting and dancing inside of my palm. And now, fully in my grasp, I shoved my hand into her chest, allowing the sparks flying off of it to it her.

From inside his metallic form, I heard Spirit's whisper. "Un … Unbelievable…"

She staggered backwards, being knocked out of the air, and scoffed. "A nice technique, but you can barely control it. That won't be enough to defeat me."

"Hey spirit, let's wait for her to come down, before making our next move." I stated, a grin pouring from my face. I started laughing in that moment. 'Hee hee, oh this is too good. What can I do next? Can I cut her?" Oh yes! I could feel it, the madness within me. I wanted to dismantle her. It had gotten worseas well. Over this past year and a half, it had grown, and it wasn't done growing. I was going to continue getting more and more lost in it. Of course there was the fear of losing to myself, but that fear was still barely there. I knew what I was doing now, didn't I? "Hee hee hee." I giggled. "Come here little witchy."

Spirit was about to say something, but froze in mid action. "No way . . ." He muttered, in what seemed awe."

I followed his gaze. Well wasn't this a nice surprise? Shinigami-sama had seriously decided to come out onto Death City's streets. "Shinigami-sama." We both acknowledged, Spirit reverting back into human form.

"Well done Stein and Spirit, but that's good enough." The Death God praised.

"But why …?" Spirit questioned. "You didn't have to come out!"

"Huh?"The Death God titled his head in surprise. "Oh! Why yes, I didn't! But I figured that I should, because she wanted to fight me, you know?" He said jovially, flashing the peace sign.

"Shinigami-sama, with all due respect… This is a really powerful witch. Don't you think you should take this a bit less lightly?" Spirit muttered.

Shinigami-sama merely shrugged, turning to face the witch. "Okie dokie, it's my turn now."

**A/N: A bit longer of a chapter than usual, yes? But a lot happened. You could consider this witch a bit more powerful than Medusa. (-cough cough- aka the bitch –cough cough- ) Her night claw is pretty much shadowlike hands whose fingertips are as sharp as the blade of a battle sword. So when it scratched Stein's face (Huh...you know … that's going to need stitches to heal up. ) it REALLY hurt like Hell. You can visualize the scream to nearly the same as in the last soul eater episode when the kishin made Maka scream in pain. Anyways, a LOT has happened this chapter, and even more will happen next chapter. All I can say is in the next chapter you're meeting another character from Soul Eater, and a rather major one, but I'm not saying who. Until then, thanks for reading, and REVIEW!**


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